Spring might well be the favourite time of the year for many, but April has been a particularly cruel month when it comes to well-loved comedians being taken from us.
Sid James died on the 26th of April 1976, while his ‘Carry On’ colleague Kenny Williams died 12 years later on the 15thof April 1988.
The Easter weekend of 1992 dealt British comedy a double blow.
Frankie Howerd passed away on Sunday April the 19th and the following day Benny Hill was found dead in his modest Teddington flat by his friend and long-time TV producer Dennis Kirkland.
There is speculation that Benny had passed away before Frankie, so perhaps they’re still arguing about it up there in the celestial comedy community.
Harry Secombe left us on April the 11th 2001, while more recently, in April 2020, during the pandemic, we lost Eddie Large on the 2nd and a stalwart of Radio Four’s panel show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue”, Tim Brooke-Taylor, on the 12th.
Probably the most famous death of a comedian in April was that of Tommy Cooper, who on April the 15th in 1984 collapsed, almost as he reached the end of his act, in front of millions of TV viewers during an episode of the popular variety series “Live From Her Majesty’s” hosted by Jimmy Tarbuck.
In the 39 years since then, Jimmy and others who were present in the theatre have spoken and written about what happened on that tragic night.
There have also been several documentaries made about Tommy and a whole new generation of fans are enjoying his old TV shows on YouTube.
As an indication that Tommy’s appeal has never waned, there is now a new stage musical about Tommy in development.
The script for “Cooper – The Musical” was written by Swansea’s multi-talented Stefan Pejic, who also stars as Tommy. Being an accomplished magician, he recreates many of Tommy’s classic routines.
According to reports from those who were privileged to attend a recent one-hour ‘sneak preview’ of the show at Blackwood Miner’s Institute (the closest theatre to Tommy’s Caerphilly birthplace), it has all the elements to make it a huge success –  laugh-out-loud comedy, memorable songs by Alison Summerhayes and David Smith, sung by a talented cast and dramatic moments that provide an insight into the complicated life of one of our most beloved comedy stars.
Let’s wish “Cooper The Musical” all the very best as it moves on to the next stage of development.
Spoon, jar, jar, spoon!
Thanguverymuch!